Professor Achin Vanaik, students from the Pro-Palestine protests and Professor Dr. Sameena Dalwai (From left to right)
The OP Jindal University in Sonipath, Haryana, sparked controversy when it invited an activist and former professor to give a pro-Palestine talk on campus. During his session, he made derogatory remarks against Hindus. This was followed by students chanting pro-Hamas slogans and calling for a candle march. Subsequently, leaked emails and chats between professors and students, videos making claims of privacy breaches and a professor taking a stance against the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan further intensified tensions.
On November 1, the university organised a talk titled ‘The History and Politics of the Palestinian Present’ by Professor Achin Vanaik, a retired professor of International Relations and former Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi, who is now an activist. Video clips of the lecture showed that, in the name of solidarity with Palestinian civilians in Gaza, he made several antisemitic and anti-Hindu comments and also criticised the Modi government over India’s stance on the conflict.
While the talk was initially focused on the current Israel-Hamas conflict, Professor Achin Vanaik made several anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatana remarks. He asserted that Hindus are inherently Islamophobic, whereas Jews are not. He also pointed out that although Zionism and Hindu Dharma share similarities, they differ in their relationship with Islam. He stated, “Zionism is not anti-Muslim; it is anti-Palestinian, but it is happy to piggyback on current Islamophobia. Hindu Dharma on the other hand, is fundamentally and foundationally anti-Muslim”.
He also argued against the assertion that Hindus are the original inhabitants of India and that Hindu Dharma is one of the oldest civilizations. According to the professor, the archaeological and scientific evidence indicates that Vedic civilizations predate the emergence of Vedas by approximately 2000 years. He emphasized the importance of discussing the Saraswati Valley Civilization.
Professor Vanaik also expressed praise for suicide bombing, considering it an effective tactic employed by Islamic terrorists. He stated, “Understand one thing about suicide bombing: it expresses above all the determination not just to kill, but the determination to die.”
Amidst these controversies, an email exchange has surfaced between a professor and a student or someone who opposed Professor Achin Vanaik’s lecture. The professor in question is Dr. Sameena Dalwai, the daughter of Congress leader Hamid Dalwai, and she teaches at Jindal Global Law School.
In the email, Dr Sameena Dalwai suggests attending the talk before forming objections, stating that it would broaden the limited understanding of politics and the narrow view of suffering exhibited in the email of the person opposing the lecture.
Dr Sameena asserted that Hamas did not commit atrocities against Israeli civilians, dismissing it as ‘fake news spread by Indian troll armies’. She mentioned, “India’s response has been sad. Fake news of Hamas atrocity is created by Indian troll armies. We know their power- many of us get trolled regularly for our writing.”
She claimed that her university values diversity of opinions, unlike others that have “shamefully reacted to their faculty, throwing them under the bus.” She expressed her hope that this continues. Dr Sameena also mentioned that right-wing students and faculty regularly organise their events, which she does not appreciate but chooses to remain silent in favour of peace.
She concluded by saying, “Otherwise, I hear shouts of ‘Jai Sriram’ on campus, I see right-wing students and faculty holding their own events. I want to react, but I keep quiet in favour of peace.”
In light of these controversial remarks, videos and screenshots from college group chats are circulating, showing Dr Sameena breaching the privacy of students.
It has been alleged that during a class session, the professor accessed a student’s dating application, “Bumble,” in front of the entire classroom. Not only did she open the profile, but she also engaged in a detailed discussion about it.
According to a complaint letter obtained by Organiser, students assert that on September 23, 2023, Professor Sameena violated privacy boundaries by intruding into a student’s personal Bumble account, a dating app, during class time. This breach of privacy extended beyond her own class, affecting multiple students’ accounts within the university.
In response to students capturing images of the incident, she implemented an arbitrary ban on phones in her class and sent an email on September 24, 2023, which further heightened the distress experienced by the students. Organiser is in possession of this mail, which suggests students stick to notebooks and pens or laptops for making notes in her class. If any of them get caught with a phone, disciplinary action will be taken against them.
In their complaint letter, students called out the professor’s inappropriate conduct, which includes body shaming and the use of derogatory language, that has created an atmosphere of intimidation and emotional distress within the classroom. The students believe that such actions constitute sexual harassment under the Rules on Gender Sensitisation Against Sexual Harassment provided by JGU, and they represent serious human rights violations.
Additionally, her use of offensive language, particularly the term ‘CHUTIYA,’ is entirely unacceptable and demonstrates a lack of consideration for the dignity and respect that should be upheld in an educational environment. The repercussions of her behaviour have extended beyond the classroom, resulting in the spread of harmful rumours and ridicule that have had a significant impact on the mental well-being of students.
The students are urging the committee to launch a comprehensive and impartial investigation into these distressing incidents, and recommend involving the Human Rights Commission and the Haryana State Commission for Women given the gravity of the situation.
Sharing the screenshots from the students’ group and videos from Professor Sameena’s class, author and activist Rashmi Samant wrote on social media platform X, “The professor at @JindalGlobalUNI who thinks “Jai Shree Ram” is problematic & Hamas is being unfairly “trolled” by students she likes to stereotype as “Right-wing” on campus is seen running “Bumble”, a dating app (like Tinder), swiping people left -right in her class making students extremely uncomfortable (check attached chats) bordering harassment. I request @RenuWBhatia1 to take cognizance of the issue. From the chats its clear that students are afraid of speaking out because they fear for their marks. Brainwashing coupled with harassment is quite telling of the predatory mentality of such political activists who masquerade as “teachers”. I’m beyond disgusted. The University has clearly become a hub for everything except teaching. It’s about time you put the house in order @MPNaveenJindal. Continued silence and brushing aside such serious matters in a learning environments opens broader questions of what really is being done to the youth of our country in the name of education!”
Many students have voiced their concerns, but they are apprehensive about potential repercussions for their academic standing and careers. Activists are calling for the intervention of the Women’s Commission and are advocating for strong measures to be taken against the professor. Currently, the university has not released an official statement. For our readers, Organiser will provide further updates on this matter as developments unfold.
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